Open Access

ARTICLE

Be Called and Be Healthier: How Does Calling Influence Employees’ Anxiety and Depression in the Workplace?

Wenyuan Jin¹, Jialing Miao², Yuanfang Zhan^3,*
1 School of Management, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
2 School of Entrepreneurship, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China
3 School of Management, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China
* Corresponding Author:Yuanfang Zhan. Email:

International Journal of Mental Health Promotion 2022, 24(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.32604/IJMHP.2022.018624

Received 06 August 2021; Accepted 27 September 2021; Issue published 20 December 2021

Abstract

Despite limited studies have found the negative relationships between calling and mental health symptoms, its underlying mechanism is still unknown. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory (COR), this study developed the resources model that explains the relationships between career calling, anxiety and depression, and the underlying mechanism. With a sample of 628 employees from the two-wave survey, the theorized model was tested. The results showed that career calling was able to decrease the levels of employees’ anxiety and depression, and two important resources (i.e., personal growth, and meaningful work) provided explanatory mechanisms for the relationships. The findings highlight the importance of spirituality in the workplace. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

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Keywords

Career calling; anxiety; depression; personal growth; meaningful work; conservation of resources theory

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